After leaving Farringford House and Gardens we stopped off in Freshwater for an icecream and short walk.
D left us sitting on a bench while he wandered a short way up the coastal path.
When we returned to the cottage I went with D to have a quick look round the Parish Church of St John the Baptist, Niton, which is only a few yards from the front of the cottage. We actually went in search of a tomb used by smugglers but more of that in a later post! Of course, I couldn't resist going in the church for a short while even though I have visited twice before!
The lych gate is by J Bevir of Lymington.
The War Memorial in Celtic form by Joseph Clarke
It was lovely to see the churchyard was an example of a "Living Churchyard" where areas are left unmown so that grasses and wild flowers can flourish.
There is a really sad story detailed on the base of this cross - it is dedicated to a lady and her 8 year old grandson who were swept away by a wave near Blackgang in 1887. If you click on the photo to enlarge it you should be able to read the inscription.
Medieval base of what would have been a market cross. The cross was designed by Joseph Clarke and added in 1874.
I wondered if this was a mortsafe enclosing this grave. These were to prevent recent graves being accessed by grave robbers in earlier centuries.
Parts of the church are Norman - the nave being C11th. There may have been a Saxon church in the same location before the present church was built. A north aisle followed by a south aisle were added at the end of the C12th. The chancel was rebuilt in the C14th when the south porch was added. The West Tower is C15th and the spire was probably added in the C17th.
In 1864 there was a Victorian Restoration.
The ancient door has handmade nails.
Norman font dated c1070. The bowl is hewn of solid stone and has cable moulding round the rim.
The paintings which represent The Crucifixion, Resurrection and Ascension are by John Reilly and are in the church due to the generosity of Mrs Jill Reilly. There is more information on the artist in the photo below pictures of the paintings.
The stained glass dates back to 1917 ( by Geoffrey Webb in association with Ernest Heasman.) The various pieces of glass around the church tell the story of the life of St John the Baptist to whom the church is dedicated.
The church interior - sorry some of the photos are a bit iffy again. I had turned the lights on but the light was still poor for photography.In fact my photo of the East Window was that poor I haven't included it!
War Memorial Board
If I am honest I am not a fan of the stained glass!
This bowl showing a labyrinth was made by a local potter - Neil Tregear.There was a pottery studio and shop in the village and I really wish now we had visited it.
The 1930 reredos above the altar is by Percy Stone
Marble Memorial to George Arnold (d1806). The memorial contains the figure of a woman and a Pelican in its Piety as a symbol of resurrection.
Edward Edwards monument. He co-founded public libraries and is buried in the churchyard.
The following day we visited Godshill and I managed to sneak in yet another very brief visit to a church although again it is a church I have visited before. I'll write about Godshill in my next post.
Reference. Church Leaflets
"Buildings of England Isle of Wight" by David W Lloyd and Nikolaus Pevsner, Yale University Press 2006 edition.
All photos taken by me with the Panasonic Lumix FZ330 bridge camera and those marked *D taken by my son with the Canon SX50HS bridge camera. (I don't particularly rate my photos but if anyone wishes to use one of mine or my son's I would appreciate an email first - thanks).
6 comments:
Nice enough church to visit, I know what you mean with the lights, I try not to have them on but needs must in some cases. Like you I find some stained glass not to my taste. I’ve never come across a mort safe yet
You did well with the photographs in the church even with the lighting conditions. It looks a fascinating building. I'm glad the man who co-founded municipal libraries has a dedication, so many millions of us have benefitted from those over the years and I still use the one here regularly. Freshwater bay looks lovely just the place to walk and enjoy an ice cream:)
Thanks so much Billy. It can be difficult taking photos in churches and I am constantly changing the iso! Church lights are not so bad but I don't use my camera flash at all. Some Victorian stained glass I really dislike to be honest. I wish I had checked date of grave now as I think on reflection it is too recent to have a mort safe.
Thanks so much Rosie. I was using f2.8 and iso 6400 and still the camera struggled! It is wonderful that the man who co-founded libraries has a memorial as you say so many have benefited from them over the years. I like Freshwater especially the chalk cliffs there and the downland :)
It's interesting that so many writers, photographers etc lived in or visited Freshwater. They must have found the area inspiring. I love the fish mosaic - it's very clever. I'm always impressed by mosiaics, from Roman ones through to modern day!
The church is interesting although I prefer the outside - love looking around at old graves and it's great that they have left some of the grassy area to grow wild.
Thanks so much Mandy. Yes it is interesting about writers and photographers - perhaps the scenery inspired them? I agree mosaics are impressive and I really like the Roman ones. I was hoping we could revisit Brading Roman Villa that has been excavated as it has a superb mosaic but we just ran out of time!
Churchyards can be very interesting I agree and I love the ones where wild flowers are allowed to flourish Some of the old gravestones can be so interesting. I found a few this visit. Some with quite sad stories :(
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